^7 (A)And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

²⁶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to ^(A)Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, ^(B)because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, ^(C)and because you shared in all my father's affliction.”

²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named ^(A)Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.

²⁶ how he entered the house of God, in the time of^{[a] (A)}Abiathar the high priest, and ate ^(B)the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”

² Therefore David ^(A)inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” ³ But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” ⁴ Then David ^(B)inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, ^(C)for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵ And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

^6 (D)When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷ Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” ⁸ And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. ⁹ David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, ^(E)“Bring the ephod here.”